The Strange Case of Nariko and Emiko
by Designated Crowd Ninja
Summary: There's more to the Zodiac Curse than anyone ever dared say, believe, or even know. KyouXTohru, KyouXoc, ocXoc. Rated M for safety. In the process of being re-written.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I really don't own Fruits Basket, Not even a banana.**

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**Introduction**

Nariko Miyamoto watched a thicket of trees rush by her window, not taking any of it in. She rolled the window open, letting wind rush in and whip her red and white hair out of place. People often thought her hair dyed, but it was completely natural. White fringe, covering her left eye and the corner of her right, the rest of her hair red, but white at the ends.

The driver cleared his throat, indicating that he didn't like having the window open when they where going this fast on the motorway. She ignored him, what did she care for his well being? What did she care for the well being of anyone else? As she'd grown up, she'd asserted her own rules to how she lived.

_Rule number one, Care for only yourself._

That rule was created when she was only five, when the only people she'd ever cared for, loved, turned on her and tried to kill her. Well, the only people the this side of her being had cared for anyway. She was aware that she had another self, another side of her personality that identified itself as Emiko. No doubt Hatori had noticed by now and told the people she was staying with, putting it down as schizophrenia, a split personality.

Hatori was one of the two Sohmas she'd ever met and now she was going to stay with three of them. She didn't know them and neither did she care what their names were. According to the one sided conversations she'd had with Hatori there was also a girl staying with them, some Tohru Honda and apparently she was quite something.

Although he'd said nothing about it to her, she knew Hatori was worried and scared by her. The schizophrenia didn't cause his fear, it was the transformations did, because outside of the Sohma family it was physically impossible.

As the trees began to thin, the blood red setting sun became visible on the horizon and she took off her sunglasses. By the scenery in front of her, she knew she was back in Japan, but it didn't feel like home.


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome! I'm Tohru Honda, it's a pleasure to meet you! I've set up a bed for you in the guest room, I hope that's all right, if it's not you can have my bed, I don't mind, and if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. I've made fish for dinner, do you like fish? If you don't I can make something else."

Nariko stared at this 'Tohru Honda', her eyebrow raised in mild annoyance. Yes, this girl certainly was something, and that something was most probably going to get on her nerves. Almost the very second she'd arrived Hatori had warned her to be nice to this annoying girl (although he'd not used the word annoying, apparently the majority of the Sohma's like her) Nariko didn't respond, she just blinked, avoiding conversation, but this girl didn't seem to get it.

"Was your journey okay? You didn't run into any traffic did you? I just hate that, when you're late because you get stuck in traffic."

"Was I late?" growled Nariko, her patience wearing thin

She'd caught Tohru off guard "Um... no... I-I don't think so..."

The eyes of both Hatori and Yuki flickered between Nariko and Tohru, ready to step in if Nariko's temper snapped.

"You don't think so? Be sure of your answers you incom..."

"That's enough Miyamoto" interjected Hatori,

Nariko looked away. She'd never promised that she _would_ be nice.

The door to the kitchen slid open, revealing Shigure, smiling in what Nariko supposed was supposed to be a 'welcoming' way, but it actually just made her desire to leave even stronger.

"Ah, little Nari-chan, I thought I heard your dulcet tones."

Shigure flinched visibly at Nariko's death-glare, completely frozen to the spot. "If you ever call me that again, swear to god I will kill you where you stand."

Trying and failing to keep his composure, his smile now more a painful grimace, Shigure continued to speak "Then what would you prefer?"

"Miyamoto-san will suffice." she said, not relaxing her death glare and going back to her tea.

Hatori looked at his watch "I have to leave now." he rose from his place, and without even a goodbye, he left the room. They heard him greet Kyo in the hall way, Kyo's response of 'what the hell are you doing here?' before Hatori left.

Just as Tohru noticed the mildly surprised look on Nariko's face, Shigure called out to Kyo "Kyo! Could you come in here a minuet? There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

The door slid open "What is it, what do you..." he trailed off, noticing Nariko "Who the hell are you?"

"Kyo, this is Nariko Miyamoto, Nariko, this is Kyo Shoma, the cat of the zodiac you have met before." said Shigure brightly, waving his hand in a nonchalant way.

Kyo and Nariko exchanged a curious, sharp gaze.

"It'd be hard to forget that hair..." said Kyo

"Likewise" she shot back "I ain't never met someone with such a stupid lookin' face"

"Who you callin' stupid you-"

A loud crash of thunder and sudden heavy rain cut him off and his shoulders slumped slightly.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Yuki "The vegetable garden!"

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Kyo lay on his back, staring dully at the ceiling. The rain storm outside was making him feel... well, _bleh_ was the only word he could put to it. Though this didn't seem to change the fact that he couldn't get that Nariko girl out of his head, he _knew _that he'd met her before (It really was hard to forget that hair) but he couldn't remember _when._ She seemed so familiar.


	3. Chapter 3

Nariko sighed and rolled onto her side. The thoughts in her head buzzing like angry wasps, keeping her from sleeping. Six days until school started. Eurgh, school. Even the word was daunting, but she was being forced to go by Hatori. She was physically repulsed by the uniform, so she was wearing a black pleated skirt and white shirt instead and there was no way in hell she was ever going to be forced into doing sports, let alone wear the kit.

Her head still buzzing, Nariko closed her eyes, may as well try to get some sleep.

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_Two small girls holding hands, no older than three, sat in the back of a car moving swiftly down the highway. It was next to impossible to tell these two girls were twins, simply because they looked so different. One had vibrant red and white hair, with deep, chocolate-brown eyes, the other had light orange hair, with golden eyes. Neither spoke. There wasn't any need to. There was nothing to be said. They were going to the Souma house. To see Akito. They both knew what was coming._

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Terrified, she opened her eyes, looking round the wreckage of the car, her head pressed at a horribly awkward angle against the roof of the car. There was a ringing in her ears, accompanied by the dull sound of sirens, and yelling. Something warm and wet was soaking her clothes and there was a weight against her right, it was the limp body of her twin. Her body was twisted and drenched in it's own blood. She wasn't stupid, she knew it was over.

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"And finally, it all comes down to the bitch" said the man, his voice slurred. A half empty bottle of a clear liquid was in one hand, a kitchen knife in the other. He stumbled towards the girl. She was wide-eyed and fearful, staring horrified at the woman in the kitchen, she was lying on the floor, dark pools of blood beneath her. "This is all your fault. Look." he gestured wildly towards the dead woman "She's dead and it's because of you, she hated you, you little bitch, you drove her to insanity, so it's only right." He raised the already blood-soaked knife._

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_A young Akito reached out a hand to the trembling girl with the vibrant red and white hair. She kept her eyes shut tight, furiously holding back tears, her hands clutched into fists, refusing to allow her self to cry "How does it feel?" he asked, stroking her cheek "Knowing it was your fault? That you killed her? And now they're dead because they couldn't stand the sight of your ugly face?" She didn't respond, she refused to. Angry, he grabbed her by her hair, dragging her out into the garden. Roughly, he threw her to the ground, and she skidded through the dust. For a moment she just lay there, still shaking. When she looked up at him, he was laughing, holding up a string of beads. No, she thought, No not now. The clouds began to part and moonlight seeped through, illuminating the garden. A horrible, tearing pain burst through her body, searing her limbs._

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Nariko sat bolt upright, drenched in sweat and hardly able to breathe. Disorientated, it took her a moment, but she looked round the room. It was fine, she was safe here, safe as long as she stayed out of trouble, safe until he remembered. She dropped her face into her hands, trembling uncontrollably. Being in the same country as Akito again had already taken it's toll. She hated him, and not the same way the zodiac did, she really hated him. Just the memory of him laughing at her, then scowling and ridiculing her 'true form' made her sick to the bone. Only one living human could even begin to understand the way she felt. But he couldn't even remember who she was.

'_Who the hell are you?_' Those words hit a mark she didn't even know she had, deep inside a part of her she'd long forgotten. She'd feigned arrogance and hit him back with '_I ain't never met someone with such a stupid lookin' face_' but she didn't want to hurt him. A part of her want more than anything for him to remember.

A knock at the door made her jump.

"What?" she snapped reflexively

"Breakfast's ready." replied a dull, tired tone on the other side of the door.

Breakfast? Was it morning already? It couldn't be, it was still dark outside. No, that was just the storm, you would of thought it had blown itself out by now. Then it struck her, that dull tone. It was him. Hurriedly, she untangled herself from her bedding and dived for the door, throwing it open. No one. He had already gone. For a moment, she just stood there. Why had she done that? Been so eager to see him? What would she have said anyway? Now feeling more irritable that she had been when she woke up, she slammed the door and flopped back down on the bed.

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Kyo rest his forehead against the table, simply too exhausted to eat. Why, why must it rain? Sure the rain had let up a bit, but if it weren't for the fact that he was the cat of the zodiac, he wouldn't feel like this on rainy days. He wasn't even sure if wet weather had this effect on _normal_ cats.

The door slid open and closed calmly. Vaguely aware of Nariko sitting down at the table, he opened one eye and looked sideways at her. She observed her breakfast for a moment, a curious, almost surprised look on her face. Cautiously, she began to eat and a string of dark coloured beads wound three times round her wrist. There was a small tassel at one point along the thread, slightly darker than the beads. She reached out a hand and moved the beads further up her wrist. Now he thought about it, the longer he looked, the more it seemed that the beads weren't one solid colour, they seemed to have a swirling pattern, like spun glass. Apart from that, they were similar to his Juzu beads, but looked more like they were supposed to be worn around the neck, not wrist. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember where he'd met her before. The door opened again, loudly this time, with an obnoxious flourish.

"Good morning!" beamed Shigure

"Says who?" shot Nariko, taking the words right out of Kyo's mouth

"Oh, aren't you just a feisty little fox this morning!"

"Shut the hell up dog-breath." she snapped, glaring at him.

Deciding to leave it at that before Nariko actually killed him, he sat down. As he sat down, he turned on Kyo. "Poor Kyonichi, bit under the weather today?"

"Leave me alone" he muttered feebly

Shigure laughed "Didn't you check the forecast?"

"Didn't I tell you shut up?" asked Nariko venomously.

_~NPOV~_

Tilting her head forwards slightly so it looked like she was looking at the food on the plate in front of her, she watched Kyo out the corner of her peripheral vision. He had one eye open, watching her, or rather, her Juzu beads. Still watching him un-noticeably, she began to eat, adjusting the beads on her arm subconsciously. His eyes widened slightly, he'd obviously noticed that they were Juzu beads like the ones he wore, but the quizzical look on his face told her that he hadn't realised why she wore them yet.

Briefly wondering where everyone was, her trail of thought was cut off by Shigure bursting into the room.


End file.
